Sweet corn fritters,can be so much more

lovely little pops of sweetness

 There are few things better than summer sweet corn.... one has recently come to the fore, being able to eat sweetcorn out of season.When Columbus reached Cuba in 1492, the native Indians greeted him with ears of corn, which he claimed were "most tasty whether boiled, roasted or ground into flour". Some believe that Columbus introduced corn to Europe, where the variety of maize grown was largely fed to livestock. To this day, many  Europeans still see it as something fit only for cattle. This prejudice is rather surprising, because sweeter maize varieties (what we call sweetcorn) have an almost addictive succulence.
Well goodbye Columbus and hello technology.Food manufacturers have now found a healthy way to enable us to eat sweetcorn in the heart of winter. I don´t mean the ubiquitous sandwich filling of tuna with tinned sweetcorn and mayo that one makes suffice for a Pret a Manger office lunch on the trot.What I´m talking about is
 the corn on the cob being boiled and packed in sterile conditions after the harvesting.There are no extra additives apart from salt and a very small amount of citric acid to increase the level of antioxidants..There is a wonderful sensation to eating corn, whether it be gnawing the kernels whole off the cob or shaving  off the kernels first and enjoying their tender, juicy sweetness combined with other ingredients.
Ever since I watched Nigel Slater on one of his cookery shows pan frying sweetcorn fritters on the beach I wanted to make them, not without embellishment though. The recipe brought to mind a supper dish my mother used to make for us of scrambled eggs with grated cheddar cheese and chopped tomatoes, to this I added green chillies and self raising flour, which would transform the dish from just scrambled eggs to something of more substance - fritters. I also felt the Slater version just might have been a tad dull and just a little bit plain, but with the added ingredients I made a supper dish to remember.There is no cheaper supper I can remember.Be sure you allow about a third of the total for the ´Knaves of hearts ´that pass the table as they are being made.

NOTHING QUITE beats the taste of golden yellow, crunchy sweet corn, freshly picked, thrown straight in the pan and served immediately, swimming in cholesterol laden butter. If you are health conscious (and decide to act on your knowledge), miss out the butter, it’s still a tasty sweet vegetable and healthy too.The trick to successful sweet corn is picking it at the right time and the speed with which it leaves the plot and arrives on the plate. If this time is minimised to 10 minutes or less, the corn will taste sweeter, softer and more flavoursome than you could ever imagine. - See more at: http://portugalresident.com/sweet-corn-%E2%80%93-50-fresh-cobs-for-10-minutes-work-a-day#sthash.VXeXsd8m.dpuf

NOTHING QUITE beats the taste of golden yellow, crunchy sweet corn, freshly picked, thrown straight in the pan and served immediately, swimming in cholesterol laden butter. If you are health conscious (and decide to act on your knowledge), miss out the butter, it’s still a tasty sweet vegetable and healthy too.The trick to successful sweet corn is picking it at the right time and the speed with which it leaves the plot and arrives on the plate. If this time is minimised to 10 minutes or less, the corn will taste sweeter, softer and more flavoursome than you could ever imagine. - See more at: http://portugalresident.com/sweet-corn-%E2%80%93-50-fresh-cobs-for-10-minutes-work-a-day#sthash.VXeXsd8m.dpuf

NOTHING QUITE beats the taste of golden yellow, crunchy sweet corn, freshly picked, thrown straight in the pan and served immediately, swimming in cholesterol laden butter. If you are health conscious (and decide to act on your knowledge), miss out the butter, it’s still a tasty sweet vegetable and healthy too.The trick to successful sweet corn is picking it at the right time and the speed with which it leaves the plot and arrives on the plate. If this time is minimised to 10 minutes or less, the corn will taste sweeter, softer and more flavoursome than you could ever imagine. - See more at: http://portugalresident.com/sweet-corn-%E2%80%93-50-fresh-cobs-for-10-minutes-work-a-day#sthash.VXeXsd8m.dpuf

f you are health conscious (and decide to act on your knowledge), miss out the butter, it’s still a tasty sweet vegetable and healthy too.The trick to successful sweet corn is picking it at the right time and the speed with which it leaves the plot and arrives on the plate. - See more at: http://portugalresident.com/sweet-corn-%E2%80%93-50-fresh-cobs-for-10-minutes-work-a-day#sthash.WHJQ522w.dp

Sweetcorn fritters with tomato cheese and chilli
Makes 6
2 kernels of fresh not tinned, cooked corn de-kernelled
a few cherry tomatoes
grated cheddar
2 green chillies
leeks / spring onions optional
2 eggs plus two extra egg whites
salt and pepper
1 heaped tbsp self raising flour
Remove the kernels from a couple of large heads of sweetcorn with a large knife. Put them into a mixing bowl with 2 whole eggs, a little salt and pepper and 1 heaped tbsp of self-raising flour. Beat the egg whites until stiff then fold it into the sweetcorn. Melt a little butter in a nonstick frying pan. When the butter sizzles, place large tablespoons of the batter in the pan and leave for a couple of minutes to brown lightly. Flip them over with a palette knife and cook the other side. Lift out, drain on kitchen paper, then eat immediately.  

NOTE: Always use fresh sweetcorn. Tinned corn is too soft, and the necessary crunch will be lost. Don't over-mix the batter, which would result in heavy cakes. For a lighter but more fragile fritter, add another beaten egg white. Cook in butter, not oil. Sweetcorn loves butter more than any other cooking medium.

For another interesting twist try this Indonesian recipe for crab,corn and coriander fritters.The quantities here make about 45 5cm /2in fritters so if you are not catering for a party adjust the quantities accordingly

85g/3oz crab meat
6 ears of fresh sweetcorn
1 medium onion,grated
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp ground coriander
2 cloves garlic,crushed
3eggs,lightly beaten
40g /1.5 oz plain flour
salt and freshly ground szechuan pepper
groundnut oil 
Cut the sweetcorn kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.Mix together all the ingredients,except the oil.Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Heat a spoonful of butter in a frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of the batter.Fry briskly till browned,then turn and cook the other side.Drain the fritters on paper towel and keep warm until all are cooked.Serve immediately.